Brief Synopsis

[up the line]

Well I couldn't resist the match pass.
I wish I'd had it on mute mind you...well, particularly when that Gary O'Neil character was talking.
Argyle clearly were the better side other than for a ten minute spell. The keeper pulls off a good (albeit the shot was a good height for a keeper) save from Nouble, then the defender pulls off a wonder block from Hardie at 1-0...yeah we need to find just an extra little bit of ruthlessness but Jacket was clearly relieved to get out with a point.
They should pin that O'Neil's drivel up in the dressing room... He'd just reviewed footage of the block and said 'that's saved the game for Portsmouth' then he's said they'll be there or there abouts but we won't trouble the play offs. We're two points behind them with a game to make up...we have some tough away games this week, but for him to write us off as also rans after that is frankly stupid.
As an aside, I thought Opoku was excellent up against a 'street wise' character like Marquis who put an elbow on him in the first half and will run into any part of your body not taped to your side to try and get you in the book. Looked like his unwillingness to get drawn into that kind of thing was riling Marquis who wouldn't have got on the scoresheet had it not been for the pen.

Did you miss the incident where Opoku smashed Marquis across the chops with his fist then? He got a yellow but it could have been a red on another day.

It was replayed once and I genuinely think he was just running in his normal manner, and Marquis made sure there was a connection. I'll have to see it again... There seemed to be no reason to have done anything as he was ahead of Marquis and obviously faster and would have easily put the ball out for a throw at worst.
For me, Marquis, in the first half, has put his elbow on Opoku and left his studs in on Mayor (for which he was booked), he's fortunate to have been on to take the pen

 

[Dan Ellard]

Marquis does have a history of being a right old s***house.

I certainly haven't forgotten Doncaster home a couple of years ago when he threw the ball over the fence into the Mayflower stand building site to waste time.

 

[philevs]

It's harsh on Frank the Tank but our best partnership is Hardie and Jephcott because they bring out the best in each other. Hardie is lost with Jephcott.

Think you mean “Hardie is lost without Jephcott”, and I agree.

 

[WoodsyGreen]

Based purely on the result I think we should take encouragement from drawing with a side who have such a good away record and will be up there at the business end of the season. We're definitely capable of holding our own in this division and easily matched one of the better sides in the league.

It should have been so much better, though, and we really need to start being more ruthless in front of goal. Hardie in particular has lost his golden touch. When the camera lingered on him after he'd been taken off you could tell he was angry with himself for not burying that second-half chance - even though he didn't do much wrong. Personally I think he should have done better when he was put through early doors, but took it wide away from goal rather than trying to find the gap to the far corner or even dink it over the keeper. Last season he would have hit that first time and probably scored.

G Cooper had a terrible second-half but was a threat to Pompey in the first, popping up in dangerous positions on both flanks and crossing with his right as well as his left. He also went close with a fierce shot that he just didn't get enough curl on to bend into the far corner. How many other players could have done that with their weak foot?

Big Frank's performance was a microcosm for the team as a whole - excellent first-half, limp-wristed second. He started the match like he was desperate to win his place back in the team but dropped off after half-time along with everyone else.

Why does that keep happening? It wasn't an issue last season, so why this? Is it because we have a younger squad this season, who don't have the experience to respond to an opposition raising the tempo and tweaking their approach? Are we missing Sarcevic's leadership? Are League One teams more adept at working us out? Whatever it is, it could end up being the difference between mid-table obscurity and a playoff push.

Finally, as others have said it was really annoying how we seemed to settle for a point in the last few minutes. The players had obviously had a signal from the sidelines because they collectively refused to put the ball in the box when it was obvious that Pompey had also stopped trying to win the match and were sitting deeper.

 

[oldage]

It's harsh on Frank the Tank but our best partnership is Hardie and Jephcott because they bring out the best in each other. Hardie is lost without Jephcott.

Seconded :thumbup:

 

[mervyn]

Interesting reading Pompey’s fans forum. Although they have been very critical of Kenny Jacket, they believe his two second half subs changed the game for them. We’re going to have to accept the fact that the tactical nous of managers in this division will be higher than last year, and learn to respond accordingly.

 

[Kevin Pedlar]

Decent should have been 2-0 up big miss by Hardie or block by the defender? Depends on your viewpoint. ........,,.

You would only see it as a big miss if you were blind ( if you see what I mean !!)

 

[Winchelsea Green]

Did anyone see the yellow card for Mayor reported by Soccerbase (click on the match link in the list below) ? Not mentioned anywhere else that I can see.

https://www.soccerbase.com/teams/team.s ... bs=results

 

[Nobby]

Big Frank's performance was a microcosm for the team as a whole - excellent first-half, limp-wristed second. He started the match like he was desperate to win his place back in the team but dropped off after half-time along with everyone else.

Why does that keep happening? It wasn't an issue last season, so why this? Is it because we have a younger squad this season, who don't have the experience to respond to an opposition raising the tempo and tweaking their approach? Are we missing Sarcevic's leadership? Are League One teams more adept at working us out? Whatever it is, it could end up being the difference between mid-table obscurity and a playoff push.

I think you’ve touched on it. There’s a few reasons.

1. We play a very intense style on the front foot and it’s hard to maintain those levels for 90 minutes straight. Whereas in League Two our levels of first half performance would often have the game all but won by half time, we’re playing better teams now and aren’t quite capitalising on our first half dominance. When our levels start to drop we start to lose control and once it’s gone we struggle to wrestle it back quickly enough.

2. Young squad. Our starting XI’s average age at the moment must be no more than 23. So I do think we lack an experienced head in the middle of the pitch holding things together in the way Bradley, Canavan, Fox, Sarcevic etc. have done in recent years. However it’s a balancing act, for example I’d rather have Opoku’s mobility and power at CB over Canavan’s experience.

3. Taking our chances. Pompey were inevitably going to come out better after the break. If Hardie takes that chance at 1-0, it’s likely game over. We need to get the second goal when we’re on top.

All in all I’m pleased if not a touch disappointed with yesterday’s result. On balance we deserved to win it. Pompey are a good side and we showed again that we are competitive in this division.

I thought the standout performer was Opoku. John Marquis is a top striker at this level and is a real handful and he barely had a sniff in 90 minutes. In fact I’m not sure he even had an effort on goal barring the penalty? Opoku stayed tight to him and battled well.

Other good performances were Joe Edwards who is in a good run of form, Will Aimson who I thought had his best game of the season and Frank Nouble who was a complete menace in the first 45. However I still query his decision making in the final third. He was lucky the own goal went in because he should have cut it back for Camara.

Ratings:

Cooper - 6
Edwards - 7
Aimson - 7
Opoku - 8
Watts - 7
Cooper - 6
Fornah - 6
Camara - 7
Mayor - 7
Nouble - 7
Hardie - 6

Telford - 7
Grant - 6
Reeves - 5

Fleetwood should be a good test. Really need to start picking up points on the road.

 

[PL2 3DQ]

Last season in League Two our first and second half results were consistent, only a point between each half and we were one of the best for winning each half.
There's a big change this season probably due to the step up in standard and the concentration levels of the players, especially the younger ones.

 

[slingsbypobble]

Well I couldn't resist the match pass.
I wish I'd had it on mute mind you...well, particularly when that Gary O'Neil character was talking.
Argyle clearly were the better side other than for a ten minute spell. The keeper pulls off a good (albeit the shot was a good height for a keeper) save from Nouble, then the defender pulls off a wonder block from Hardie at 1-0...yeah we need to find just an extra little bit of ruthlessness but Jacket was clearly relieved to get out with a point.
They should pin that O'Neil's drivel up in the dressing room... He'd just reviewed footage of the block and said 'that's saved the game for Portsmouth' then he's said they'll be there or there abouts but we won't trouble the play offs. We're two points behind them with a game to make up...we have some tough away games this week, but for him to write us off as also rans after that is frankly stupid.
As an aside, I thought Opoku was excellent up against a 'street wise' character like Marquis who put an elbow on him in the first half and will run into any part of your body not taped to your side to try and get you in the book. Looked like his unwillingness to get drawn into that kind of thing was riling Marquis who wouldn't have got on the scoresheet had it not been for the pen.

Plenty of green tint here! O'Neil was the only one in the entire Sky team talking any sense, apart from the commentator. (I will give you the fact that he didn't/hasn't noticed the stadium refurb.) Co-commentator was just awful, I think they just dragged someone off the street who doesn't know anything about football. Anchor was vacant, and didn't know anything about Home Park or Argyle.

Opoku was really lucky only to get a yellow. Multiple instances of him with a neck-hold on Marquis. He must have done something right otherwise he'd have been in Breakspeare's book earlier. Pompey should have got another penalty in the first half due to naive defending.

A draw was about right, and we should be proud of that result against arguably the strongest team in L1.

 

[WoodsyGreen]

I didn't notice any bias towards Portsmouth, but if there was any then it would have been earned. If we had spent multiple seasons in the top flight, winning league titles and FA Cups and playing in Europe, then maybe broadcasters would take us a bit more seriously.

To them we don't have much more of a profile than clubs like Rochdale.

 

[Melbourne Mark]

Nice to be able to get up at 6.40am and watch Argyle on the telly here, albeit through a sports streaming service.

Thought we looked very slick first half, when the wind seemed to be troubling Portsmouth, who didn't have much possession in the attacking third. Nouble was a threat with his powerful running with the ball, while Hardie's speed also saw him stretch their defence. The goals will come for him if he keeps getting into the right spaces and running the channels, he was only denied by a wonder block from the defender's leg.

Second half their substitutions seemed to work and they pressed us more, penalty looked a fair call. I'd have been fuming if that wasn't given for us. Then almost straight from the kick off a cross wasn't properly cleared by Fornah, who had a good first half, and it was drilled low into the far corner beyond Cooper's despairing dive.

For a young side against a better resourced and more experienced team, it could have been curtains, but credit the greens came back into it when their keeper fluffed a long free kick to the back post, Telford crossed it for Opoku to bundle the ball in. The game then petered out and both sides seemed content with a point apiece. Ref wasn't overly involved, other than when he had to be.

Ratings:

Cooper - 7
Edwards - 7
Aimson - 7
Opoku - 7
Watts - 7
Cooper - 6
Fornah - 6
Camara - 7
Mayor - 8
Nouble - 7
Hardie - 7

Telford - 7
Grant - 6
Reeves - n/a

 

[oldage]

Nice to be able to get up at 6.40am and watch Argyle on the telly here, albeit through a sports streaming service.

Thought we looked very slick first half, when the wind seemed to be troubling Portsmouth, who didn't have much possession in the attacking third. Nouble was a threat with his powerful running with the ball, while Hardie's speed also saw him stretch their defence. The goals will come for him if he keeps getting into the right spaces and running the channels, he was only denied by a wonder block from the defender's leg.

Second half their substitutions seemed to work and they pressed us more, penalty looked a fair call. I'd have been fuming if that wasn't given for us. Then almost straight from the kick off a cross wasn't properly cleared by Fornah, who had a good first half, and it was drilled low into the far corner beyond Cooper's despairing dive.

For a young side against a better resourced and more experienced team, it could have been curtains, but credit the greens came back into it when their keeper fluffed a long free kick to the back post, Telford crossed it for Opoku to bundle the ball in. The game then petered out and both sides seemed content with a point apiece. Ref wasn't overly involved, other than when he had to be.

Ratings:

Cooper - 7
Edwards - 7
Aimson - 7
Opoku - 7
Watts - 7
Cooper - 6
Fornah - 6
Camara - 7
Mayor - 8
Nouble - 7
Hardie - 7

Telford - 7
Grant - 6
Reeves - n/a

How come you rated Mayor the highest yet didn't even mention him in your report?

 

[Keith Whitfield]

Very disappointing that we didn't secure all three points. Jackett's half-time changes worked well for them and got them a share of the spoils.

Think this match made a number of things clearer.

First, Conor Grant brings a lot to this team and must start.

Second, Jephcott is the only must-start striker. There are cases for one of Nouble, Hardie and Telford to join him in the starting XI but none of them is obviously better than any of the others. Think I'd go with Nouble, at present, especially as we have tough matches coming up.

Third, Byron Moore is the best option at left wing back.

Fourth, Opoku is not only a talented player but is able to mix it with the rough guys. That's good to know with Fleetwood and Peterborough up next.